Celestial Bonds
by Celestial Soul
Summary: It all took for a bitter taste to finally realize that her family was advancing without her, and a whole mouth full of lemon juice when her supposed to be easy mission reviles secrets that can lead to destructive opportunities.
1. Wonders of Crosses

Welcome to my very first book! This is going to be a huge roller coaster of a story, with our main blonde of course taking the main spot light! Please like, follow and review!

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Lucy stood there in awe. Not only was her loyal spirit staring at her with such amazement that it caused her, Lucy Heartfilla, someone who grew immune to his gaze filled with unnamable emotions, to feel shocked. Surprised even.

No one and she meant no one, thought of her as powerful. But he did, he thought of her as more than just powerful. He described her as godly! As if!

Baffled, all she could do was blush, the intense heat causing a hazy hue of pink to dust her cheeks.

Her fingers fiddled with her dearest key, who remained silent but aware, waiting for an answer in anxiousness. She couldn't picture herself as a force to be ranked with, no maybe a small obstacle compared to her teammates. With the bitter thought, the compliment washed over her head.

Her team- no family, was advancing without her. The thought gloomed over for months, causing her to slowly dull from the once filled with sunshine to the now cloudy and always deep in thought. It wasn't like they purposely made her feel weaker than them, no, they all but encouraged her to jump in and beat any opponent up to a pulp. But the need never came over her. The soul of a warrior was not matched to Erza, Natsu or even Grays.

But she couldn't help but overhear what people commented, who they made her out as a person, a weakling. A tag along. The replacement.

Of course, if her team heard any of these rather insulting names, they would be burnt to a crisp before becoming a popsicle and then sliced as if a fine piece of meat. As amusing as watching the whole episode play out, she just couldn't let them know how much it hurt her. Or haunted her. Never.

She wanted to show her worth, even if it sounded self-pitying. To her, it would show how mentally strong she was, to be seen as confident. That's how most Fairy tail mages held themselves as. Most had full rights to, the mages in her guild were insanely powerful! It scared her to imagine going against any of them, as all of them had their crazy power-ups every month.

But, the thoughts still came to her when she was all alone in her bed, gazing at the moonlight that shone into her room, getting rid of the shadows.

Was she good enough?

If she asked anyone in her guild, they would reassure her immediately and turn the conservation to a different direction.

Now, if she asked herself, she would say no. She wasn't. Compared to Natsu as he grew by the love of his family, his long life goal of finding his dragon father keeping him training constantly. Or Gray as he wanted to avenge his foster mother who taught him his magic, to grow stronger as he wanted to rival his brother. Even Ezra had goals of being stronger, all to help Jellal become a free mage and start a future with him. She was nothing compared to them.

What was her goal? To have stronger bonds with her celestial spirits. But how? She never thought of the aspect until recently, deciding enough was enough. She was done hiding in the shadows, everyone constantly looking out for her if she had a mere paper cut. No. She wasn't fragile. Not anymore.

It was hard to come to the fact that she was slowly, but surely, falling behind everyone else.

It was bitter, seriously bitter to come to face reality. How did she let it happen? When did they all become so powerful that it seemed almost impossible to catch up to them at this rate? She had no idea how it was unnoticed till now, but she let her guard down.

Maybe she was too focused on everyone moving on with their own lives? For better or worse, she was too safe for her to grow up, magically and physically.

Somehow, there could be a change. She just knew she could, no, can do something about it. How though? To be matched to those powerhouses seemed impossible, scary but true. And she could only dream to overpower them at any given rate.

She knew she had to get rid of the depressing clouds that loomed over her, things would never change if she didn't. It would be hard, yes. Though it could be good to move on and get ready to kick ass.

Of course, she decided the best way to do that, was Natsu's way. To take a mission that seemed crazy then train like hell. Now that she could do, without a doubt. Just steady thinking was her main go to. And of course, she chose a mission that just left her baffled in shock that she currently was in.

It was to get rid of the high pressure coming from a nearby forest, scaring away anyone passing by, that seemed to be no problem. However, the catch that was not added to the mission flier was that it was a celestial spirit. Not only a celestial spirit, a free one. No master insight.

It certainly didn't look like a beast, not at all. It looked like Crux too much for her liking. He was after all a Cross, easily identifying him as the northern cross, Cygnus. It did seem off at the first encounter.

She was shocked but noting the intense aura around the spirit, she was on edge.

All that happened was for them to have a stare-off, his complex features all sharp and squinted eyes bore into her. Then the tension had lifted once his eyes widened, realization hitting and his once hardened muscles, if you can even call them that, loosened up.

Somewhere in between the stare-off, Loke appeared to woo her. None noticed him, but what did end the stare-off was his comment, he out of all people called her a goddess of war.

Her eyes squinted in concentration, eyebrows knitted together which left the two spirits to remain in silence waiting for a response. It wasn't long before she snapped out of her frozen state, her eyes looming over the lion.

"As much as I want to lecture you, it can wait," she mumbled knowing he would catch the almost silent words before she turned to the cross once more. "May I ask some questions Cygnus, the northern cross?"

The spirit gave her one more glance over before responding, "Yes blondie, get on with it."

"Where is your celestial holder?" She decided to go straight to the point, noting how Crux and Cygnus were personality-wise very different much to her dismay.

Crux is a gentle but wise spirit, as he always had her back when she needed to know anything. However, the northern cross seemed polar opposite. Snarky from what she could tell.

"I have no celestial holder, I'm more of a freelance spirit compared to your pet cat over there." He sneered at the lion, receiving a growl of warning. This only boosted the spirit's confidence.

"I never knew a celestial spirit to not have a celestial mage but be in the human world besides Leo, how are you still out with so much power?" She pondered, this spirit had to be a silver key, so how come he is so strong to stay out for this amount of time? More importantly, did the Spirit king know of this? Was Cygnus banished like Leo?

A golden light appeared between the cross and celestial mage, causing dirt to circle the wave of magic before it diminished, another cross taking its place. Crux looked for once, more awake than ever, now staring longingly at the other cross. Lucy could only guess they were siblings or even father and son, she soon awaited to find out the truth of their unnamed bond.

"I can answer that for you, princess," his soft voice coed. "He is not a silver nor a gold key, rather a wooden one."

She could only gasp. A wooden key!

Loke reached down for her hand, slowly intertwining their fingers together. With a reassuring squeeze, they returned their attention to the cross.

Taking note, she knew what he said with the soft gesture. To wait and listen because she was about to get mind fucked.

"To start, there are more than just the commonly known silver and gold keys. No, many different key collections can be collected, however, some have different rules that apply to the sets." He started, and for the first time Lucy had ever seen the older spirit, he seemed unsure.

"As you now just encountered my younger brother, Cygnus the northern cross," she knew it, "he is a wooden keyed spirit, as for the wooden spirits are allowed to roam the earth without a master, they hold their key till they find a mage worth giving themselves to."

He paused, knowing the questions circling her head in a frenzy.

"So what are the wooden keys supposed to represent?" She gave Loke her own squeeze, noting how he sent her a soft purr in happiness.

"They represent antiques, more known as objects. Such as Circinus the compass, a spirit that specializes in locating anything at any given time, with the power to even transport if unlocking full potential. Of course, being a compass can tell which direction you must go and where the north, south, west, and east is located."

Blown away, she could only gasp.

"With my brother, he is a combat spirit. He has a human form which is specialized in close combat and in wielding a hammer, where he can also use enchantment magic if he pleased. This, however, is only unlocked when contracted to a celestial mage, such as yourself, as he can agree to hand over his key by deeming you worthy or fighting against him for it." He sent a fond smile over at the younger sibling, receiving a loving smile of acknowledgment.

Instead of Crux, his brother resumed for him.

"The form I hold currently is my original form, to represent human history and literature. I have the entire existence of human history in my mind like my older brother. However, from looking at the data for you blonde, you seem odd."

The comment made everyone look at him in question, confused expressions dawning over them. This made Cygnus groan before continuing.

"If you didn't notice, your magical pressure is way off for a mere celestial mage. Otherwise, you would have already been dead." He glowered.

"Gee thanks," she sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes at how sharp he was.

"No, I'm implying there's something much different. It is another form of celestial magic you have not tapped into." He suddenly became serious, sharp features once returning. The air stiffened from his magical power unintentionally increasing.

Loke seemed surprised from her glance to see if he was catching all this, at least someone was as confused as she was. Another magic? How can that be when it never awakened?

"It's called Star Dress," collective gasps came from the spirits, "It is where you the celestial holder can wield the power of any spirit you possess, being able to use their magic as a form of Requip. It will be challenging if you do decide to tap into it, counting the number of keys that hang in your key ring, you would need training."

Loke, the one who quickly came to his senses faster than the other two, took a challenging step towards the cross. "How come I, the leader of the zodiac, never heard of this?"

"You petty lion, only the high ranking spirits such as myself know of this. In direct orders of your king, he doesn't want any earth land keys to having this knowledge due to the high amount of abusive celestial mages, they could easily make the purest form of celestial magic into dark magic." He snapped back, his floating form now more visible as he also took his stand.

He was rather slightly bigger than Crux, rather than the gray that his brother was, he was an obsidian black. Irritated golden eyes stared at the lion in annoyance, as Lucy could only stare in awe of the beautiful marbling that complemented the spirit.

In awe, she took a few steps forward, unnoticed by the two heated spirits. No, she even got between them, before hesitantly raising her hand to feel the cracks and marble.

Cygnus was taken aback, almost yelled at the blond for being foolish and to learn personal space, before a sense of comfort washed over him. What was this feeling he could only ask himself before enjoying the feeling, her slim fingers tracing every line her eyes could muster. They didn't feel the stares of the others, rather having a silent conservation with the tracing, as his guard had finally let down.

Crux could smile at the sight, lip trembling at the sight of his brother finally connecting with someone other than him. After years of war and hatred for humans, his brother grew distant each time they somehow met. Yet, his mistress had gotten under the brick walls, made herself at home and got him to _smile_.

She was one of a kind, that was for sure.

The only one who didn't find this was a happy moment was the lion, who growled in the annoyance of his princess touching this man, even if he was in that cross form. He knew better than to swat her hands away and throw a mighty regulus punch at Cygnus, if only she wouldn't get mad and lecture him to be nice and force his gate closed.

Then again he can't get mad at the small girl, no matter how protective he got over the blond beauty that made his summons all the more special. No, he couldn't.

She was charming in her way, drawing any type of crowd to feel her kindness and see her radiant beauty glow among them. To be her spirit, he felt honored. And now this man was already fawning over her, damn her for being so kind.

He already had enough to worry about when her idiotic team would hover over him as if they were dragons, and to make her fall in love with him was becoming a challenge he didn't want to fail. No, he would keep trying until she felt the same way. Even if it took years for her to realize. He could wait.

Loke was pulled out of his thoughts when that damn cross sent him a smirk, already sensing a love rival. Damn!

He wasn't the only one to notice the look, the brother only chuckled in approval. He was outnumbered...

"Sorry to ruin the moment but we should wrap this up," He all but growled, his canines revealing slowly. He could all but feel his upper lip twitch in annoyance.

"Ah yes, your right for once fur ball," The northern cross chuckled.

With a more agitated growl, he was so close to ripping the damn smug look off his face.

"Now blondie, I am offering my key for only three reasons so listen up because I will not repeat myself," he huffed. "One, you're going to need my help if you want to harness that power within you, I'm the only one who'll be able to truly help you. Secondly, I miss my human form very much so expect a lot of it. And lastly, I need to catch up with my brother, interrupt my time with him and I'll make you regret it."

She all but cheered, and before Loke knew it, she hugged the spirit tightly. This was cruel.

"Of course! Thank you so much Cygnus, I'll make sure to train my hardest," she pursed her lips as if thinking for a quick second. "Oh yes, as I already know your magic and all of that, when can I summon you and any side notes I should know?"

The spirit chuckled, already enjoying the blond.

"Do not summon me on the weekends or you will regret it. Other than that no," was all he said.

Before Lucy responded, Cygnus lifted an arm to his forehead, where a key began to form, the uneven branches wrapping around each other eagerly before completing its shape and coming out. Cygnus handed the key over to Lucy who only stared at in awe.

The key was wood, different branches creating patterns that were uneven but evened out when it came towards the end, taking the shape of a cross. There was a small gem as if a ruby was glued to the forehead of the cross, which was surprisingly now once the key was gone. The wood was dark but glistened under the sunlight, seemingly to thrive under the stare of sunlight that kissed its tiny form.

Cygnus all but started as Lucy analyzed the key, truly appreciating what it was and who it was to open, and he couldn't help but stare at her too.

She was all but an amazing mage, one that blew him to this day away. Even as she viewed herself as a weak mage for not physically being strong, she grew more powerful by the day that just went unnoticed. Maybe now things would change, hopefully, her confidence would excel with what the ignorant spirit told her.

Only for his princess would he deal with the noisy spirit, to deal with him every day for her sake to grow stronger was all but fine in his book. As long as she was happy.

She geeked over the key, slowly coming back to reality and placing the now two keys among the others, seeing a soft glow radiating out.

"As far as I know, I and your lion spirit will set up a training schedule for you to excel at both summing and wielding spirits powers, while also training your body to keep up with the magical source inside of your tiny frame," he continued.

Lucy nodded her head in excitement, not taking his words to heart.

"While we train your body and magic, we will also be looking for the other key sets, all of that will be explained later when we have a game plan to follow by. Other than that, you and the maid spirit will need to get better clothing than that."

His eyes skimmed over her body, and quickly made its way to make eye contact with her, "This would not do for the training I'm thinking of blonde!" He all but laughed in his stupid voice that Loke was on the verge of making him shut up. He could not wait to go to the celestial realm and teach this guy a lesson for messing with his princess.

"That's fine, anything else before we set out?" Was all she said, not noticing the intense aura coming from her side, the cat all but gripping his glasses a little too hard, when the spirit made his move to speak once again, his grip broke the pair of shades into two accidentally.

"Now, now, Leo, how about we leave the two to finish their contract?" Crux said with an all-knowing smile, clearly seeing the scene play out with glee. Before being able to tear the man to shreds, Lucy placed a hand onto his shoulder, embracing him with her sweet scent of vanilla and strawberries, relaxing his frustrated nerves.

"Please Loke? I would like to get to know my newest spirit without you growling," she all but smiled at him sweetly, and he gazed at her.

His sweet princess was going to be alone with this creep…

"I'll take you to that new sushi restaurant if you behave!" She tried cheering him up, already noting the older cross went back to the celestial realm.

Quickly taking her into his embrace, he rubbed his scent onto her head to calm him down once more. "Summon me if anything happens, I care for you too much princess".

The words went unnoticed in her dense ears, not realizing how he put affection in them, even compassion was laced thickly when it came to times to leave her. However, the other spirit did notice and had a soft frown, clearly not enjoying the scene.

As he took his leave, he missed the warmth of her embrace that still loomed onto him.

She glanced at her newest spirit in curiosity, already excited about the new bond she can make with the mysterious cross. He was nothing like his older brother, no, he reminded her of Laxus with the snarky comments or even the aura of Gajeel. Then again, he was unique in his fiery way.

She began to wonder what this shield he put himself in was for, and why he seemed to be rather snarky while his brother was kind and lighthearted. But how to put it into words was her problem…

"Blondie, your staring." He commented, his eyes lazily taking notice of her form, already able to read her easily. "Not that I mind."

Weirdly enough, she giggled at how weird he was. "You're a cross Cygnus, and a spirit none less".

"You'll see," was all he said before returning to silence, waiting for her to make the next move once again. He was rather awkward when there wasn't always a challenge to put him off balance, which was interesting.

He all but yawned, obviously teasing her.

"Well Cygnus, do you know what the Star Dress for you will look like?" She asked curiously, one of the questions that had been eating at her since they mentioned the hidden magic.

With a perverted grin, he wagged his eyebrows and thats all she needed to know without further questioning the spirit. It was interesting learning about his true personality even if it was very well hidden from most who wouldn't take time off to spend with the spirit. He was very different from her spirits, he was cocky, confident and a bigger pervert than her lion.

But that was okay. It was perfect.

She could already tell that this spirit was going to lead to something crazy, and she was more than ready to face them. Excited even!

"I'm taking it as I don't want to know yet?" She questioned only for an all but eager nod was her response. Giggling, she sat next to his floating form, taking in the comfort of his form. The two remained in silence, enjoying the other's company.

She knew that her life was about to change, maybe more than she wanted. But it was fate in a way. This cross had changed her whole life, claiming she had the purest form of celestial magic, and she was all but excited to see the changes in her life. If anything, she had to thank the cross that floated beside her.

He even seemed lost in thought, possibly enjoying the breeze that flowed between the trees, the crisp smell of dirt and flowers laid over them as she sat on the flower patch and even the sight of the horizon being masked by the trees that spread for miles and miles. It was a beautiful sight. As she took a soft gasp of awe, she felt a gaze looking upon her, only to make eye contact with the cross.

"Lucy, opening this power may be dangerous," he mumbled as if conflicted about his words.

"What do you mean Cygnus?" She said after a pregnant pause, now nibbling her lip in worry.

"Even with your celestial magic, you attract attention as it is a very rare magic. Now knowing of your full potential of Star Dress, the attention will become worse and we must act quickly to have some firepower," he seemed wise for a minute, almost a look-alike with Crux.

He hummed for a second.

"That also brings the eyes of dark mages, either wanting to recruit or use you due to the mass elemental and physical attacks you can gain if you go through with the training," he became troubled. "I worry that this could lead to a path of destruction and death…"

As he trailed off, Lucy gently grabbed a hold of his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze to know that it'll be okay in the end.

With a heaved sigh, he decided to continue his train of thought.

"Even though you are a strong mage, even though I could feel the magical pressure you radiate off naturally, I have a feeling you can handle what life throws at you".

Copying his sigh, she got more comfy by completely laying on the grass, feeling her blond hair frame her heart-shaped face. The grass tickled her exposed skin, but she didn't let it bother her. Just lazily staring at the soon to be starry sky, she let herself relax.

"Lucy…" Cygnus whispered, barely catching her attention. Turning her head to look at him, he saw her soft gaze linger on her form. His eyes were softer than usual, a soft smile almost matching his brothers formed. She fidgeted under his stare, noticing he took a while to respond.

"Do you like that lion spirit of yours?" As soon as he said it, he turned away, his eyes fixed on the tree in front of them as if it were an enemy. He thought she liked Loke like that? Why?

"Well no, I haven't looked for a companion in a while since I have been so busy," she admitted, still waiting for his gaze to match hers. It wasn't long before he turned back, another staring match until he only chuckled.

Raising an eyebrow, she was confused.

"You're more innocent than I thought you were blondie," was all he said before fixing his gaze once again to enjoy the beautiful display of nature around them, and honestly she did not mind having more questions answered. She could wait till the morning to harass the spirit who was so transfixed by the scenery, his somehow muscles made of onyx relaxed, only he had slowly moved to the floor.

But she ignored the ignorant man, deciding to copy him and fully relax once again, even if it was harder than she thought it was.

He was tough to read, but it made her want to crack the code and figure him out completely, which could be postponed for another day, maybe even a training day. Now she was getting more pumped for the exciting parts of her training.

When she returns home, she will be stronger. She can promise that for sure, that she will be a force to fear one day, a title like that would be similar to Gildarts hopefully. All she wanted was to be able to stand by her team's side and feel like a powerhouse among them, to feel like one of them. If only, then she will finally be at peace.

However right at the moment, she was with this new being filled with mysteries and secrets, and she couldn't wait to make him comfortable enough for his tough guard to go down. Once confident and fiery, now he was openly showing his worry and care over her.

Was she mistaken? Maybe it's just her eyes…

"Lucy, you're going to get wrinkles if you keep doing that." The cross stated.

A heated blush heated her cheeks, and she immediately threw a shoe at him. "Shut up!"

He only dodged and chuckled, his eyes lingering on her before returning straight forward, masking in silence once again. How could he go from joking to in the dark so quickly? Now that was a mystery on its own.

She wanted to know this spirit, something about him drew her to him for a reason, and she was determined to figure out what it was. No matter what!

With the initial thought, she decided to have a good look at him. Of course, she recognized the obsidian color he brightly held, along with some white marbling going in unpredictable zig-zags around his body. He had the same body as Crux, only much younger and seemed muscular? Shaking the thought, that was impossible, she thought.

When not angry or sneering, his eyes seemed soft, the golden orbs looming over the trees. They reminded her of the stars, and it only made sense because he knew all about them by heart. It complimented the obsidian color, making it pop even more than it originally would.

With a gentle hand, she went to go feel the marbling, earning a curious look from the spirit. "What are you doing blonde?"

"Are these supposed to represent scars?" Was all she could muster.

He nodded as if pained and it hurt her to know that he had so many. Even if they were beautiful, it must kill him to have been through so much. And with a determined look, she decided that she would make him feel secure, to get rid of the scars that laid mentally in his head. As if she made herself a promise to do so, she continued feeling the scaring, showing him that it wasn't bothersome.

"Well they are very beautiful," she smiled, running her dainty fingers to feel the scars, not minding the rougher feeling.

He looked at her in shock, maybe even awe, who would've known that he would find someone so caring… Amazing in other words, she seems to be one of a kind. Indeed she was. He smiled.

If only she saw the real human scars that he held in his human form, then things could change, thankfully she seems unbothered. Enchanted by it maybe. It blew him away at how amazing she made him feel, no human has done that before, especially just meeting for the first time.

"I know I'm beautiful blonde, you're already fawning over me!" he laughed at how flabbergasted she looked before laughing along.

"Oh ya, checking out a Cross," she snickered, a pink hue told otherwise.


	2. Fiery Temples

Sucking in a breath, she continued to trek through the forest's obstacles, wincing as the twigs and rocks that would scrape at her creamy skin, making themselves known with the mumbled groans that escaped her chapped lips. Soon, she would have to stop, as the small light from nightfall will be gone, and she would be stuck in the looming darkness around her.

Scrambling over an overly large rock, groaning as she landed with a thud on the not so soft ground, feeling every bone rattle from the fall. If it wasn't for her stupid cross, she wouldn't be in this mess. No, she would be back at the guild, cuddled up and safe, away from the mess she would soon have to meet.

However, the small amount of excitement still lay heavy in her chest, an exhausted grin was all she could muster before continuing down the path. It was a part of her new training, to collect the keys, that she expected once he sort of explained the dilemma. But to go into the fine depths of the forest she didn't even know existed in search of this key that Cygnus was so certain was waiting for a new "challenger", in hence a new key holder, it was unexpected at least for her.

She hasn't even gotten to unlock this Star Dress he would ramble about all morning over breakfast, something she must have to defend herself with if she wanted to become a better Celestial Spirit mage if anything she was left in the dark about what exactly she would be doing for this magic.

For sure training physically, either with Leo or Capricorn and magically with Cygnus and Crux. The excitement that bubbled up in her chest made itself known at the thought, because not only was she getting stronger, she had more friends to bring alongside her quirky family of spirits and she could also fight by their side with even more force than before.

As she is known to be the weaker link of her team, something that ate at her silently, there was a small hope that it would die with each day of training. She was going to give it her all, not only for her but for her friends and family.

Looking up, the once light from the setting sun now gone and replaced by the looming stars that protected her from complete darkness, she sighed and looked around. It was fairly clear to set up for a campsite, just a few small branches here and there, but at least one tent could be built nearby a fairly large rock.

Letting her fingers grasp onto Virgos and Leo's keys, she silently summoned them, watching as their bodies formulated from sparkles to their formed figures.

"Hey guys, it's getting pretty late and I decided to set up camp here for the night," she smiled once noticing how Virgo already went to set up camp, "and I need to get in touch with master to let him know I'll be gone for a few more days."

"Of course princess," He reached into his pocket, a lacrima already handed to her as he gave her a warm smile. He seemed frazzled as if he was in a brawl and everything of his got messed up from head to toe, but she decided to ignore it for now.

"Thank you, Leo, I'm going to sit down for a bit, care to join me?" She mumbled as she made her way in the opposite direction, not needing to look at him to know he agreed already.

Sitting down on a nearby log, she couldn't help but sigh, seeing the damage on her legs just from the trek she was forced to take. The purple splotches ruined the once untouched legs, throbbing in pain, but she decided to ignore it for now, not when she had to contact the guild and let them know her plan. She wanted to avoid having them assume the worst and stampede their way into the forest, tearing it to shreds looking for her.

Looking up, eyebrows scrunching as Leo only sat in silence, looking to the distance distracted.

"Hey…" She started, putting the lacrima down onto the grass and making her way towards the lion, "Are you okay? You seem troubled."

"Just worried, this is all new to me with the new keys and even this 'Star Dress', it seems like trouble to me," he sighed, eyes locked onto his polished shoes. "It's been in my mind since you received Cygnus's key like something is going to go wrong and I won't be able to protect you. I'm supposed to be your faithful and loyal lion, not some coward cub who can't protect his princess from harm…"

"And you will Loke, you have since I saved you," she sat next to him, grasping onto his hand to bring his attention to her, "You never have once failed to protect me, if anything you protect me from everything."

His eyebrows scrunched, ready to interrupt but Virgo shushed him from afar.

"Even at moments where I thought I didn't need protection, you still were there just in case. And most of the time we thought alongside each other, as partners, and I couldn't be more thankful for that. And this is one of those moments, where we were shown a new path that might be scary and new to us, I can say it is a bit scary to think of the dangers ahead of us, but I want to be by your side and fight along with my spirits, you know I mean that" holding onto his hand tighter, a small smile taking place.

She looked up to look at the stars, feeling warmth elope her.

"I'm still confused about everything, with the new keys and this new magic that's inside of me, but as long as I have my trusty lion I know I will be fine."

Leo blushed, taken back by her words, staring at her as the stars he guided made her look all the more brighter. She was gorgeous, and her words crept into his heart and made it hammer even more.

He could see the way her eyes traced the stars, connecting them to form the constellations that shined brighter in her presence, her smile making his lips copy her, a warm smile soon matched her own. Soon, he felt Virgo take her leave, sending her a silent thanks.

So holding onto her hand even tighter than before, following her eyes to look up at the stars as well, he could see the twins twinkling, knowing Lucy is looking at them fondly. He took in the moment, letting the warmth in his hand trickle into his heart, not giving any waste to how her small fingers felt intertwined with his.

If he could, she would be his, but she wasn't. No. That was what would haunt him the most, seeing her find happiness in someone else, but he wanted to be that. To be hers. To hold her, take in her shape against his, to give her everything he got as her lion and truly show her how happy he can make her. That was what he silently wished for upon the shooting stars.

Looking back at her, he flinched in pain. He wanted her to be happy, not just as her faithful and most loyal lion, but more. Something romantic. To him, she was his everything, waking up and ready to be by her side to laying in his bed heartstruck that she held his key. If anything, he craved for her to give in to his obvious wishes, to be his and his only.

But, he had a feeling something will happen. Once she obtained Cygnus's key, he felt the dreaded feeling of loss and jealousy, and that only angered him even more with the situation. He felt the attraction from his fellow spirit, and it fueled the fire that demanded he pounces the man and shred him to pieces. If it wasn't for Lucy demanding him to stay put, she would have never had his key and his mind wouldn't be in jumbles of confusion.

Not only was he lost and jealous, but he was also confused. Beyond that, everything he knew and believed was thrown out the window and apparently, someone was above him, Cygnus. The cross he didn't even know was a part of his kingdom somehow was above him, the Leader of the Zodiacs had no clue about any of this new information and he was looked down upon for that. New keys, new magic and he wasn't as close with the king as he liked to think he was.

Feeling a squeeze, he cleared his thoughts once seeing Lucy's concerned look, only shaking his head and squeezing back in reassurance.

Seeing her smile, he quickly latched onto her, bringing her up close and pecked her cheek. She eeped in shock, and he felt a sensation of happiness overtake him.

He knew she would see this as friendly, she always did every time he tried to win her heart, always thinking it was just a thing he did with every girl he came across. But he knew better.

"Loke, you better let go of me!" She squeaked, pushing her hand into his face, both of them laughing.

"But Princess you will run away from me!" He cried out, loosely letting his arms drop till she got her body a few inches away from his.

"That's the whole point!" Lucy giggled, cheeks bright red, now sitting across from him slightly panting, bruises and scrapes long forgotten. "You know you can't just kiss anyone whenever you feel like it."

He only chuckled, lazily leaning back, taking in the sight of a flustered Lucy. Messy hair that was tied back, a tank top that seemed a bit too small, and cargo shorts that matched her hiking boots. His eyes caught a bruise on her thigh, and his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Princess… why are you bruised and scratched up?"

"Oh! It's from the rocks and branches I had to get over, I got to clean those up soon…" She sighed, her fingers softly going over one of the bruises that hurt the most. The purple-colored skin looked more drastic up close, now that her eyes can see it due to the lights Virgo put up earlier.

Sighing, he felt a slight tingle in his hands before a first aid kit formed into his hands, already setting it down to start cleaning the scratch marks. "Please be more careful next time Princess, some of those look painful."

"I'll be fine, you know me," she giggled, getting the alcohol wipes and running them along with the scrapes, "Besides, I got you to take care of me!"

He chuckled, only rolling his eyes as she brushed it off before softly brushing healing cream over her bruises. For a second, she went silent, having a far off look that itched at him. So they sat in silence, patching her legs up, only a few spots covered by bandages and bandaids.

She spoke up, once finished with the band-aids and alcohol wipes, "You know, I'm kind of scared..."

Before he could pitch in, she continued, "I have to be strong, and when I get the opportunity to do just that, I feel nervous like something will go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong Lucy," she looked at him when he called her name, "Trust me, I know you like the back of my hand, you're strong."

"And what I mean by you're strong, is how you're powerful in your way. That's what makes you different, even unique compared to your guild, is how you strive to be stronger for not just your friends but for us. You compare yourself to people who have had years to train when you barely were able to reach the first step at a later age, that's not a fair comparison."

He sighed, sitting back once again, "This, the whole situation with Cygnus and training, will take you to an even more advanced level than I even knew was possible to achieve, and it'll not just be new for me and you, but for all of us. I knew it wasn't just me worrying about this, it was you too."

Sighing, she knew it was true, but she couldn't just believe it. No, it's been years with overthinking that maybe, she didn't belong. She was the weaker link, and know that this random opportunity was thrown at her, she didn't know how to handle it. Should she be glad? Confused? Or possibly even in denial and think this was all a dream?

"It seems… convenient to me, like this was planned out and it'll be a disaster."

Leo nodded, understanding. "That's what I thought too, I will admit. But I do believe that this is a good chance, even if we don't like it at first." He knew it was more about how he was feeling, at least towards the end of what he said. "However, I do know that only you will be able to handle this new adventure we have on our hands."

"How? I'm known as the damsel in distress, it's apparent to not just me but everyone that I'm a lesser mage when it comes to my team… as if I don't belong with them."

He growled, ears going back at her, "Don't ever say that, you know it's not true."

"But it is! You know it is, you can hear the whispers." She hissed back, bringing her knees to hold them, feeling the bandages underneath her fingers. "It hurts to feel like this Loke, to feel like an outcast."

Sighing, he grabbed onto her arm and brought her into his hold, making sure she stayed put. She needed this, to hear this, to feel whole again. He could feel how her words truly ate at her, corrupted her innocent soul with hurtful thoughts.

"I know it does, but listen to me, please," he started, feeling the lump in his throat make itself known, "you're not what they or anyone else thinks. I know you're not, because I am with you every day, by your side, fighting with you in every battle you have. You do not rely on anyone but yourself, not even emotionally or physically, so do not let them have a say in your life."

Lucy only laid in his arms in silence, feeling his beating heart thrive against her ear, letting his words come at her. And he knew she wouldn't say anything, no, he knew she couldn't, not when her heart was broken and needed repairing, to be happy. To not be brought down by cruel thoughts that would egg at her every time she accomplished something. She didn't deserve this if anything no one did, but here she was dealing with a harsh reality every day. But he was here, every step of the way, to make her feel better, confident, and ready to be complete once again.

* * *

Finally, she finished packing up the small campsite. With Virgo by her side, it was a quick clean up, only taking up a few minutes to get the tent and lights that once hung along the branches over her were in a bag.

Pushing back the baby hairs that stuck up from her high ponytail, she sighed in relief, for once she felt at peace with the early morning mist comforting her. There were the occasional bird tweets, but strangely, the forest laid in silence as the morning sun came up.

"Princess, everything is ready for the celestial world, is there anything else hime?" Virgo questioned, a soft smile on her usual stoic appearance.

Looking around, she quickly replied, "No Virgo, thank you for the help."

Once she felt Virgo disappeared back into the spirit world with the camp supplies complimented with a bow, she breathed in the morning air. For once, everything was clear. No worrying over how she looked with a simple pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, or how she didn't have the looming thoughts eating at her. No, finally, she felt free.

Now all she had to worry about was the grouchy cross spirit of hers, who stood in front of her, now in his human form that he would go on about every time he was summoned. All morning he would grumble at her to hurry up, sometimes mumbling things to Virgo to get her to throw something at him, and he seemed to enjoy how she got mad every time.

Surprisingly, she never had a good look at him till now, seeing how his black, bushy hair tied into a lazy ponytail complemented with tan skin and occasional scaring. Beady eyes that were somehow gold, he seemed to have every odd feature from his cross form. Even to his clothes, a skin-tight shirt that was covered by a cloak that ended at his chest and baggy pants, it seemed almost too perfect for him. Not that she could complain.

"Quit starin, we got to go East for a few miles before reaching the temple." He grumbled out, only smirking once he turned his back and continued with the path.

Sputtering out some rambles on how she was definitely not staring at him, she continued to follow him, already seeing the long path they had to take over rocks and logs.

They walked in silence, not needing to say a word as they enjoyed the misty air and occasional run-ins, small bunnies and fawns that scattered away, and sometimes, never will she admit it, did she stare at his long hair sway with each step. She didn't want to see if it looked as soft as it did, nope, not at all.

They continued, making their way surprisingly faster than she expected over to the temple, seeing as he made quick steps so she would have to keep up with his fast pace. It was doable, if anything, gave her some time to really think.

What spirit would she meet? From what she got, Loke and Cygnus coordinated a plan on who exactly she should face first, given that Cygnus all but demanded it would be a wooden key. His main excuse was how he was outnumbered by the golden and silver keys, she giggled when he grumbled that out at breakfast.

Something about fire and a temple, thankfully she knew what to look for. The fire part not so much, maybe that's the spirit's magic? That would be useful for upcoming missions, and even equipping the Star Dress for this spirit sounded almost too perfect. Plus, Natsu would favor this over any Star Dress besides Cancers, she was sure of that.

Sighing, she leaped over a fairly large log, seeing as Cygnus stood still for a moment. "What happened?"

"I can feel his presence, that means we're close." Was all he spoke, his unruly voice sounding a bit more aware than before, not bothering to look back to know she was fully listening to him.

Just hearing that made her a bit nervous, not knowing what will happen once they reach the temple, will the spirit come willingly or will they have to "challenge" it as Cygnus warned her about?

She seriously didn't want to fight the poor spirit if it said no, but Cygnus just said it was willing to see if she was a worthy key holder. The jumbled thoughts helped her blank out, making the time go faster than it seemed, and she all but ran into Cygnus's back with a squawk.

"Were here Blondie…" He trailed off, analyzing the temple that stood before them as if memorizing its historic beauty. It was tall, wide with it being layered down in a pyramid shape, shapes, and pictures being written or covered by dust and dirt. Some spots were hidden from her eyes by vines, noting how a few patches of the vine were burnt off, crisped into shreds of its old form. Hell, now that she wanted to look and analyze, multiple spots on the temple looked burnt, rubbled, or even blasted off. Was this the true power of the spirit within the temple?

Gulping, she looked up at Cygnus, seeing the smirk itch onto his face. He was all too ready for this encounter, she only could sweatdrop and hope for the best.

"Then let's get a move on shall we." She pushed him lightly, getting him out of whatever kind of daydream he was in, and they continued to walk towards the entrance. With each step, the heat came at them in waves, warning them to back off. If anything, this made Cygnus more eager to go into the temple.

Her eyes roamed the brunt rims of the entrance, seeing as poles of fire led up to an empty thrown inside, basking in bright light, and she could only gulp at the sight.

"Don't be scared Blondie, you got me here to back you up." Cygnus grinned at her, and she only nodded with a determined smile. It was comforting, however odd it sounded. But she did like it, if anything, basked in it while it lasted before they stepped inside.

With a few steps in heat-blasted at them, almost burning them, as they felt a presence behind them. Silently praying, she slowly turned, seeing a figure who seemed not all too happy with them in the temple.

Cygnus's words blew out the window and all she wanted to do was run out, only if the guy in front of them wasn't in the way, she gladly would have. Grabbing onto his hair as mental support, clearly catching Cygnus off guard, she petted his hair in reassurance that everything will be okay.

"Cygnus…" The stranger whispered, very confused at the sight. "Why are you here with this human?"

Stepping out of the shadows, the stranger soon embraced in a new light, Cygnus grinned when he saw that. "Nice to see you again Fornax, it's been centuries."

The man stood, tall and mighty, with his tan skin almost matching his messy hair. He seemed to enjoy the heat, only wearing a beaded necklace and brown baggy pants, not how he was barefoot.

Lucy gasped, quickly figuring out who the spirit was, Fornax the Furnace, also with the mention of fire, she connected that his magic was based upon the fire. Her petting stopped, newfound excitement bubbling in her belly.

"So you're the furnace? May I say that you really put that in perspective with this temple!" She giggled, but in reality, it was a plea to cool it down. He literally made his home a furnace, sweat soon making itself known on her forehead.

Taken aback, he quickly snarked at her, "Why yes, thank you human."

Smiling nervously, she looked up at Cygnus for support, seeing the man only grinning at her innocence.

"You do realize that he was warning us to stay back with the waves of heat right? Also, he hates humans." He chucked, seeing how her jaw dropped in surprise, well more for the whole he hates humans so they came to get his key first out of all of the keys.

"Baka! How are we supposed to get his key then?!" She whispered, pulling his ear down to ramble to him, in her way of privately barking at him.

"By a challenge of course!" He pulled out her grasp, walking up to the already ticked off spirit with a cocky grin, already ready to summon his magic. Lucy squealed, quickly running to his side, about to apologize to the spirit that seemed almost too ready to set the duo to ablaze.

"I accept, your bodies will be ashes to my collection!" He all but shouted, jumping back while summing fire around his hands, already in a fighting stance.

Lucy sighed, unclipping her whip from her belt before lashing it out onto the floor, a loud smack against the rumbled floor as a warning. She didn't have to check on Cygnus to know he was already ready, feeling him take some of her magic as he was already working on something, on what, she had no idea.

Cygnus was the first to leap, going headfirst into the fire mage, with Lucy by his side already wrapping the whip around Fornax's body, a smirk on both of their faces.

Soon followed Cygnus's punch to Fornax's face, a loud crack was heard as the spirit quickly made his way to the side, avoiding a sidekick.

Lucy quickly tugged on the whip, bringing Fornax up close as she gave her punch in, with her own crack being heard. This angered Fornax, his tan skin catching on fire, his once angry scowl into a smirk as Lucy wasn't prepared for her whip to catch on fire.

Letting go of the whip, she growled at the slight burn mark already on her hand, before squeaking with a swift dodge when a fiery hand swopped for her. However, she let her guard down when she saw Cygnus running up to them, already forming a ruin on Fornax when she got punched in the stomach.

"Lucy!" Cygnus yelled, eyes going wide as he saw Lucy hunch over as the fiery ablaze burned her.

Stepping back, seeing the mad look on Fornax as he looked back at Cygnus, she quickly put space in between them. She had to think of a plan, her only spirit of water was Aquarius, and there was no water in sight. Groaning, she quickly grabbed onto a key, "Open gate of the scorpion, Scorpio!"

Scorpio appeared with a frown, not common when summoned, to glare at the fiery spirit, already shooting a beam of sand at him.

With an aggravated roar, Fornax readied a beam of fire at Lucy, even with the sand fully hitting him.

"Lucy, do it! Do the Spell!" Cygnus yelled, "We can do a large barrier around him and trap him!"

She looked at him panicked, not knowing what in the world he was talking about as she tried to figure out just how to dodge the incoming fire attack, knowing she wouldn't be able to just run and book it with how he was smirking, no, if anything it would follow her.

As the fire blasted out at her, she gulped, feeling something in her belly suddenly coming to life, a source of power she never thought of before now becoming like a beaming light, her soul grasping onto it as the words spilled out, "Star Dress: Cygnus Form!"

A bright light engulfed her, feeling everything be ripped away from her as something new came to cover her form and she stood feeling different, new in a way. And she liked it.

Now stood Lucy Heartfilla, battle-ready, with a new form that she still was confused about, but could ask Cygnus about later. She stood in a cloak just like Cygnus, only it stopped under her breast with a small crop top to cover her, his constellation now on her ribcage that could be seen if she lifted her arms, complemented by skin-tight pants and thigh-high boots, her hair was up in a high ponytail.

As she got used to the new feeling of different power, it seemed as if Cygnus and Lucy complimented one another, both shouting at the same time, "Rune Magic: Barrier!"

Soon, the fireball and the once ablaze man was set inflamed, with a very obvious look of confusion.

Lucy panted, a silent whoop as she tried to catch her breath, not used to this magic coursing in her, only to be picked up by Cygnus who looked like the happier one of the latter. "You did it Blondie! And so quick!"

"Ahaha put me down." Lucy grumbled, still confused on what just happened, "How? I didn't even know both of those spells…"

"It's a mind link since I'm already summoned, our connection was pretty damn good that I got you to do both Star dress and a spell in the form, which by the way only made the barrier we created pretty strong for the flame brain to go cold." He grinned, ruffling up her hair only for a quick smack at his hand, Lucy grumbling below him.

"That's cool and all but is that the magic Leo explained to us?" Scorpio questioned, losing his usual excitement with clear confusion, not used to this random power up his keyholder just had. If anything, he wanted to see his own, but from Lucy's face of annoyance, he supposed a later time.

"Ah yes, it is! It's quite nice if I do say so myself!" Lucy chirped, looking at the clothes, seeing the small pattern of white that formulated a cross over her breast with small stars around it and she thought it was pretty convenient. It mostly had greens, being the cloak and scrunchie that held her hair up, and blacks with the tight jeans and boots.

A rumble was heard from the barrier, getting all of their attention, seeing Fornax trying to set his body on fire. "Hey, you! Stop that!" Lucy cried out, quickly making her way up to the barrier that held written runes, "You're supposed to give me your key right?"

"No." Fornax huffed out, his brown hair falling into his eyes making him squint, "Why would I for a human-"

"Shut it Fornax, you lost the challenge." Cygnus rumbled from behind her, a small eep was heard but ignored from the celestial mage.

"I would never serve a human."

"Well never say never!" Lucy chirped, hair bouncing as she reached out into the rune barrier, her hand waiting for his in the air.

He looked down with his fiery eyes as if refusing to take the reached out hand, even feeling the glare of his fellow spirit. But seeing the bouncy blond look almost too hopeful, he didn't know if he could refuse, so hesitantly, placing his hand in hers, surprised by the softness they held.

"I promise you will not regret this, Fornax!" She smiled, and he could only groan at what was to come next.

* * *

The two sat in silence, not knowing what to do as they held the lacrima in confusion, not exactly the smartest when it came to new magic and tech. "Lucy!" Both groaned, seeing the blond peek out from her tent in confusion.

Fornax pointed at the device as if speaking to her with hand signals, only getting an eyebrow raised in response.

"Damn it Nax, let me handle this." Cygnus grumbled, "Blondie, you asked us to get this damn thing started for your 'important' call but we have no clue what to do."

"Just click the green button." Lucy wished she could just slam her head into the ground but, unfortunately, it would cause a headache that she didn't want.

Nodding, he clicked it, seeing a few names pop up and he quickly clicked onto the one labeled "Master" knowing Lucy was wanting to call this man.

Seeing that he clicked it, she quickly got out of the tent as the ringing was run out amongst the clearing they camped in, two tents for her newest spirits since they all but demanded to show off their powers, and for Nax, he wanted to see the Star Dress that she refused to do next.

Yawning, feeling the misty air against her skin that was revealed, enjoyed the quick stretch she had before the phone was connected.

"Lucy?" An aged voice questioned, clearly confused.

"No you old f-"

"No! Bad Cygnus!" Lucy scrambled to him, smacking him with her brush. "Don't be rude to Master! Hey- sorry there master, that was my spirit who so happened to be sorry about his rude words."

She sent a quick glare towards him. "I wanted to let you know how I will now be coming back from my completed mission, as I ran into a new spirit, Cygnus, who you already met." She sighed. "And I apologize for lack of communication, I been quite busy,"

"That is okay dear, no worries. However, what do you mean by quite busy?"

"Oh well, you see when I met Cygnus, he told me about this power called Star Dress that is inside of me that I could tap into with proper training. We made a side trek to get another key, Fornax," Said spirit came in between Lucy and Cygnus, a critical eye analyzing the old man, " And one the way there, I taped into my first form, Cygnus's."

"I see, does that mean you can also tap into different spirits Star Dresses?" He mumbled, actually curious about the situation.

"Yes she can, it's notable how she can use it in situations under pressure. When we were going up against Nax here, she was about to get hit by a fireball when she went into my Star Dress form and did a barrier spell with mine to trap him." Cygnus continued, almost smirking when he saw how red Lucy got from all of the attention.

"That does seem like Lucy alright! I'm assuming she had a spirit next to her as well, she seems to do anything to avoid getting them hurt," when he got a nod from both spirits, Makarov smiled. "Well that does seem interesting, I will have to catch up with you once you arrive back at the guild."

"That's fine master, have a good day." She whispered, seeing the lacrima went blank.

Sighing, she took the lacrima back towards her tent, ignoring the two as they rambled amongst themselves. If anything, all she wanted to do was catch up with her dog spirit and take a nap.

Both watched the blonde disappear into the tent, finally giving each other a knowing look, disappearing in each of them.

"You felt his presence, yes?" Fornax mumbled, dusting off the dirt from fire-printed pants. "More powerful than a few centuries ago too."

"I did, he was for sure looming on blondie," Cygnus grumbled, sitting cross-legged near the fire.

With a nod, they sat in silence, letting the fire crackle with each powerful wave.

"We have to do something." Fornax snarled.

"I know but we can't, she's not properly trained nor does she have enough spirits."

"If anything, she will be more protected within her guild, he can't attack with a bunch of people surrounding her, yes?"

"He will trust me." Cygnus growled, fisting his pants as he forced his stare into the fire before asking, "Why do you even care?"

Wide-eyed, Fornax responded, "Because no one can handle my power like she did, not even when I can make my fire the hottest thing she touched, she held her ground." He sat there in silence, thinking for a second before continuing. "It was weird, I hate humans usually but she is more…"

"Like a spirit? Ya, I noticed that too."

"Is that why you decided to not challenge her?"

Growling, Cygnus barked at him, "None of your damn business furnace."

Lucy came back out, a small frown as she saw the two now growling at each other like dogs, when in fact they were literal objects, a cross, and a furnace. So she quickly sat in between them, seeing them slowly relax from the separation.

She didn't need to say anything when Lyra and Plue came out, both silent as they joined them around the campfire, waiting for their cue to speak. As with a small nod, Lyra began playing her harp, a soft tune playing throughout the fire, said fire danced with each note played.

Plue went up to Nax, a small nod in acknowledgment before he made his way onto Fornax's lap, clapping his hands in excitement. As Lucy, Cygnus, and Fornax cuddled up to share body warmth, the soft tunes played by Lyra rang out into the forest, listened to by the birds that laid in their nests, the rabbits that stoped in their eating and the bears that stuck their ears out to listen.

However, among the forest animals, laid a man. Angry and hurt was what he was, and with the music calling out to him, he all but screamed back, this was not okay to him. No. It was almost criminal to like their music.

Pulling at his black hair that loomed over him, he cowered from it, not taking the usual comfort it usually gave to people. If anything, it made him tense, wanting to cry out as he felt the hatred run in him roar to life. All he wanted was to be in his mom's arms, like he was when he was smaller and more fragile, and listen to her words of reassurance. If only she was here, she could take the pain away. But no. She wasn't.

He had no clue where she was, but he needed her back. And his way to find her was those spirits that used their cruel music against him, beating at him with it. No, those spirits wouldn't give him what he wanted, but the girl would.

When he had her, then he would get his mom back, right? _Yes_, he told himself, _you'll surely have her back_.

Crying out, he could almost feel the presence of the cross and only cripple onto the floor waiting for the music to end. It hurt him, his soul pleaded for a stop to the destruction of it.

_One day_, he cried out with the next lash of music rang even louder, _I will have her back, and it'll be me and her again, like old times_.

Sniffling, rubbing his eyes as it stopped for a second, he leaned back into a random tree panting, eyes wide. This felt almost as good as when his mom would summon a spirit, who looked happy with tears rushing down their faces, and barked at them. That was the only time he wasn't barked at and the time where they weren't told to punish him for being a bad child.

And before he could even prove to his mom he wasn't a failure, that he didn't have to be beaten by spirits, she was gone. And then, he was alone in the dark cruel world.

* * *

So this was actually a lot of fun, I'm enjoying how I'm writing Cygnus especially, but now we have Furnax! I'm hoping your enjoying the characters I'm throwing in here, I think it would be good for Lucy to be around her spirits before being sent home. And finally we have our Star Dress, and our main villian in one!


End file.
